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              Adedoyin Onajobi  Ahead of the Great Ife Students’ Union election, aspirants for the position of Director of Sports unveiled their manifestos and fielded questions from the press on critical issues shaping sports development at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). The press confrontation, held on July 22 at the 1000 Seaters Lecture Theatre, spotlighted key themes including gender inclusivity, publicity, digitalisation, talent discovery, and the structural future of campus sports. Responding to a question on gender inclusivity, Abudu Ayobami Fatai (Bambam) anchored his vision on “continuity and inclusivity,” emphasizing the need to not only encourage participation but also build confidence among athletes, particularly female students. He stressed that his administration would ensure equal visibility for all sports while sustaining initiatives such as the Sports Fiesta and reviving Inter-Hall competitions. In contrast...

          Onajobi Adedoyin The ICONS Organization, a news agency under the Association of Campus Journalists, Obafemi Awolowo University (ACJOAU), conducted its 2026/2027 executive elections on Sunday, July 19 at the First Bank Lecture Theatre (FBLT). The election, originally scheduled for 4:00 p.m., commenced at 4:15 p.m., accommodating delays attributed to the inoperability of CNG buses, which affected members’ arrival. The brief delay also allowed members to interact and introduce themselves before voting began. In attendance was the immediate past Editor-in-Chief of the organization, who is currently the Chairman of the Guild of Editors, ACJOAU, Adedoyin Oguntade, who charged members to prioritize the progress, continuity, and institutional development of ICONS. He emphasized that every accomplished media professional begins from modest foundations, urging members to maximize opportunities within the organization to build their careers. A total o...

        Michael Olawuyi At ‎ every second semester on OAU campus, one question quietly emerges: Why do some students passionately participate in student politics while others remain indifferent? While many people blame apathy or poor leadership, the answer often begins much earlier, at home. Even long before students ever step foot on a university campus, they form opinions about power and governance. As a child raised in a home that encourages open debate and civic responsibility is far more likely to view political participation as a duty. In alignment with this Karl Marx, a political socialization scholar, once said 'the family is the first institution where people get to develop their political attitudes, values, and beliefs.'  Conversely, many Nigerian parents raise their children with a deep-seated politicophobia i.e. a fear of campus politics born out of a historical reality of violence, cultism, and academic victimization. Acting out of love,...

            John Alabi  “Education is the best legacy,” so they say. But what happens when access to the rewards of one’s academic labour becomes increasingly difficult for a university undergraduate? Who should be held accountable? Delayed result uploads are not a new challenge within the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) community. Each semester, students begin with renewed determination to excel and improve their CGPAs. Some remain on campus during breaks, while others spend countless hours studying lecture materials, revising PDFs, and preparing for another academic session. Yet, after all the sacrifices, many are met with disappointment. The experience becomes a recurring cycle of uncertainty, with one unanswered question leading to another. Students enter examination halls without a clear understanding of their performance in previous courses, forced to predict their academic standing without knowing their strengths, weaknesses, areas ...

        Ezekiel Ogunniyi If you walked into Awo Café for the second day of the GreatIFE Students’ Representative Council (SRC) business meeting expecting the usual fireworks that often accompany the constitution of the electoral committee and petition body, you would have left disappointed. Perhaps that disappointment says more about us than it does about the House. On that day, the GreatIFE SRC sat, debated, voted, and swore in a new Electoral Commission and Petition Committee without a single disagreement, without a President storming out, and without security personnel stepping in to separate warring factions. Depending on who you ask, that is either proof that GreatIFE politics has finally matured or proof that its fire has simply burned out. Barely a year ago, the same chamber descended into what could only be described as pandemonium when the Speaker announced a thirteen-member electoral committee instead of the expected fifteen. The Union Presiden...

          Joy Oludele, Eniola Adeyeye & Israel Bakare  Before assuming the office of Students' Union President, Omoboriowo Damilola Isaac, the President of the Great Ife Students' Union, made a series of promises aimed at improving students' lives and addressing pressing campus concerns. These commitments formed the foundation of the campaign manifesto that earned him support from the student body. However, as the term progressed, many of these promises remained unfulfilled, raising questions about leadership effectiveness, planning, and accountability. The fact that the current President as the head of the Central Executives Council (CEC) has achieved some laudable feats cannot be overlooked. Back in August 2024, the Students' Union executives opposed the bus drivers who wanted to increase the bus fares from ₦150 to ₦200. For a while, the Students' Union provided buses to convey students for ₦100. In addition, the President has facilitated ...

By Israel Bakare and Sinmisola Ajibola  The Students' Union Students' Representative Council (SRC) sitting held on Sunday, May 11, at Ajose Lecture theatre centred on ratifying the hall committees and nominating and ratifying members for the select committee, transport committee, security committee, and judicial committee. As previously reported by the Icons Organization, since the inauguration of the current administration of the Great Ife Students' Union, the Transport Management Committee (TMC), along with the Security Committee and other relevant committees, had not been ratified, even though a semester had passed and the second semester had begun. Oladepo Oladele, the Speaker of the SRC, remarked that the meeting on May 11 was their first business session. READ ALSO: TMC, Security Committee, and Others to Be Ratified This Month, Says S.R.C. Speaker Before ratifying the committees, it was clarified that the interim security committee was operating under coll...